Morning journal and courier., 1887-09-08

1AN l in Brooklyn will be guests of Brooklyn can ton. They will take Weeds full band and will have delegations from New Britain, l Meriden and Middletown-
 BRIDGEPORT GRADE cRossINss.
 vioe-President Reed, yesterday denied the story that the Consolidated road intended to elevate the tracks through Bridgeport, and thus do away with the grade crossings. he said that it would not be done thls year or next, and would probably never be done. It would be much better to bridge the tracks in abolishing the grade crossings III that city, as it would not do as great damage to property along the road as the elevation of the tracks.
 THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
 The State Normal school opened at New Britain last week and everything points to successful term Eighty names have been enrolled and the number will probably reach
 100. Since last graduating day there have
 been 500 volumes added to the library, which
 is now filled with valuable books comprising
 the standard works on science, history, bl-
 ography, etc. The gymnasium has also been
 greatly improved and the services of Miss
 Carlisle secured as instIuctress.
 IN PUBLIC OFFICE FOR FIFTY YEARS
 On the 17th day of September, 1887, Wes-
 tell Russell will have been in public office for fifty years. He has held the places of
 city watch, constable, deputy sheriff, sheriff, deputy United States marshal, and now holds the office of county commissioner. In 1880 he was engineer of the first steam en- zine in New Britain, owned by F. T. & w. B. Stanley. The coal for the engine had to be brought by teams from Middletown. He has also been messenger of the House and doorkeeper of the State Senate.
 THE CONNECTICUT TOBACCO CROP. SPRINGFIELD, Sept. 7.-According to re- ports received by the Homestead, the avre- age of cigar leaf tobacco in the Connecticut and Housatonic valleys is fully 15 per cent. less than in 1886. The growth will average 1,5O0 to 800 pounds per acre for Havana seed leaf, and 500 to ], 300 pounds per acre for Connecticut seed leaf. Some damage has been caused by the Pennsylvania tobacco flea, new pest. Over 80 per cent is already housed, and not 5 per cent. will be left
 standing by Saturday night. Sunmatra leaf | seems to be gradually going out of fashion as cigar wrapper.
 | THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN SEEN IN NEW HAVEN. Harley Burgess, ad adopted son of Mir. o. M. Burgess, superintendent of the Russell 6 Erwin works at New Britain, has been miss 1 ing since Sunday night. He is 16 years old ! and there is a belief among some that he has been kidnapped. On what this rests was not l learned. Others believe that he has run away from home. When last seen be was on his way home from St. Marks church at S:15 on Sunday evening. Tuesday evening it was l reported that he had been seen in New Ha- ven and that there was reason to suppose he was on his way to New York with an inten- | tion of enlisting in the navy.
 ! A SUCCESSFUL STATE FAIR EXHIBITION AS BURIED.
 Secretary Andross is quoted as saying that
 the entries in all the classes for the state fair | are larger than ever before, and that the prospects for a successful exhibition were l never better. One exhibit of especial inter ! est will be that of T. E. Platt, of Newtown who will show 327 varieties of potatoes. The ! display of Jerseys will doubtless be un | equalled owing to the $100 prize offered by | the American Jersey Cattle club for the best 1 herd. The gold medal will also go to the winner of the cash prize. There will be ar unusually large exhibition of colts, brood
 mares and young stallions.
 LONG ACTIVE BUSINESS LIFE ENDED. Windsor Looks. Conn.,, loses prominent | citizen and active aggressive business man 1T l the death of Burton M Douglass Tuesday | morning. He was born at Wells River, Vt. ! March 13, 1918, and at an early age removed | with his parents to Enfield, and shortly \ afterward to Sufield. He early bought ar l interest in line of boats then engaged in the transportation business on the Connecticut l river, but after the Hartford and Springfield 1 railroad was built he sold out all his boating l interests to the railroad campany and en, gagged in boat building, and built many steamboats for the Connecticut rivel 1 and for southern rivers. He went to Nortl Carolina in 1854 and built several steamer | there. While in that section he narrowly escaped being mobbed for his free expression 1 of northern sentiments. He returned il | 1855 and then built the Milford (Mass.) ga 1 works. He moved to Norwich in 1856 ant I there built the new gas works, of which h, l was superintendent until 1869, and at th 1 same time owned and conducted a larg l plumbing establishment at that place. H. l then moved to Warehouse Point and shortl, afterward to Windsor Locks where he ha since lived.
 He was superintendent of the canal atWind
 sor Locks from 1865 to 1870. Then he wen l to Augusta, Ga., and built dredge for th,
 canal company there and had charge of thei l improvements. He went to South America l in 1874 for a transportation company anc l thoroughly explored the Magdalena river anG 1 crossed the Andes on horseback Since hi 1 return he had been engaged in various occu | pations. lie was the owner of the Windso Locks and Warehouse Point ferry for 8 | years. The new suspension bridge a 1 Windsor Locks was largely due to hi ! efforts. The bridge was built after de- 1 signs and plans furnished by him, and partly by his hard work and persistency charter | for the bridge was obtained, the stock sub scribed and the bonds sold He was also in
 terested in the Windsor Locks Water com pany and in the Windsor Locks Electric | Light company. He was kind hearted ant | liberal and liked to do good quietly. H, | saved more than twenty persons from drown | ing, several of them at Windsor Locks He leaves a wife and four sons, Samuel B., judg, of police court at Windsor Looks; Henry C.
 contractor, also at Windsor Locks; Fre6 | w., of Pittsburg, Pa, a river captain, anc
 John B., of Brainford, Minn., judge of muni ! cina1 c0urt